Go Astros?!

This past week the kids and I were invited to go to an Astro's game with our friends.  They had a bunch of extra tickets, and a 12 person van (they have 7 kids)...So we jumped on board and I had my first Minute Maid Park experience.  So different from Fenway!  Good old Fenway!  Side note:  We were out to eat last night and caught the Sox game in Boston on TV.  All those die hard fans in the drizzle.  Bundled up in their ponchos, and sitting through the weather!
Anyway...I had packed a sweatshirt and all kinds of weather preparedness...DUH!  The stadium has a roof that closes for inclement weather...and because it was so warm out it was shut and there was AIR CONDITIONING!?!?  We had great seats, but the Astros did not even score that night...  Oh well.  A pretty stadium and great seats still do not make for a winning team. We will always be Red Sox fans through and through.
On the home front, our tomatoes and hot peppers are getting ready to pick.  The kids enjoyed their second riding lesson, and were excited to trot.  They also completed their history projects that they have been working on for the past few weeks and presented them live to Gammy and Gampy (via FaceTime).  Their grandparents gave them both an unbiased "A+++++++"

First harvest.

I cut Zevon's hair all by myself!

Joel making sure not to loose Ethan!

Altuve is by far the cutest of the Astros...

Kids were practically on the field!

Crystal making...it actually worked!

Elizabeth manages to juggle her 7 kids and pack snacks for the Jason's!

O.K.  This is a picture of Elizabeth's dad's TV.  I am smiling out of relief that the foul ball went one row behind me!  I was on TV!

Giddy Up!

It has been a week of adventure!  On Monday the kids and I headed to The Museum of Natural History with Elizabeth and Elliot.  We decided to pay the extra for the live butterfly exhibit, and it did not disappoint!  The main room was like stepping into a rain forest.  Elizabeth and I were more fascinated by the plants than the butterflies!  We saw a cocoa plant, with a huge seed.  Pineapple plants, enormous green leafy plants, orchids and all sorts of new flowering things.  The butterflies were everywhere...but none landed on any of us, much to the children's disappointment.  We also explored the hall of dinosaurs, and my new favorite..The Hall of Gems and Minerals.
     Tuesday Ethan had his first play-off game.  The Brewers won...and Ethan scored his first black eye!  He hit a foul ball just right and got his eye socket....  I nearly scaled the fence!  After the swelling was controlled and the coaches had a good look (one is an eye doctor), we decided to put him back in to pitch so that the kids could hold their lead.  It worked!  What a tough cookie this kid is.  Pitching with one eye swelled shut, and a bloody gash on his cheek bone...
     Thursday we headed to our new pediatric dentist.  I could not believe my eyes!  Only the pictures can explain this one.  They do not use novocaine...so no needles.  Just a laser and some "tasty air".  (Scott and I are looking into how to score a bottle of flavored nitrous.)  If kids need a filling, they get Bose headphones on, a Netflix TV in their face, and the dentist has an apparatus that holds their mouth open with out stretching their lips so that the kids can just relax, watch a movie and never feel a thing.
     On Friday I brought Fiona and Ethan to their first Texas riding lesson.  The barn was so perfect.  At the end of a long, long road.  Fields with Texas longhorn bulls grazing...old railroads criss-crossing, tin roofed barns, huge oaks draped in spanish moss.  I was in heaven.  The kids have a lesson with just the two of them at 10 am on Fridays.  The owner has 30 horses.  When the kids arrive, it is their responsibility to look at the chart, see who they are riding and go out to the pasture and retrieve their horse.  Then they lead the animal to the barn to prepare them for a ride.  After brushing the horses with the three different combs the kids go get the tack themselves and saddle the horses.  I love that they need to learn to do all of this on their own.
     Well, I need to go get ready for another play-off game.  Scott and kids are off Mother's Day shopping!

Admiring the rainforest.

Does this give you an idea of how huge the plants are?

I am amazed that they grow like this.  So perfect!

Ouch!

Dentist office.  IPADS provided for kids.

Full, free arcade (in dentist office). This is what Ethan did during Fiona's exam.  Did I mention they constantly bake cookies so it smells homey, and then you eat the cookies?!

Preparing Joey for a ride.

He started falling asleep, the brushing felt so good!

Feels Good to get Out of The Woodlands.

Today we set out to explore the towns around us.  The Woodlands is a picture perfect place...but sometimes too picture perfect.  I needed to get away, see some old buildings, cows, crooked streets, and people!  We headed to Montgomery Antique festival.  What a treat.  Not only were there tons of tents with antiques, but the town seems to be geared toward that market all year round.  The shops are old Texas homes.  Just how I imagined..Spanish moss draped trees, very crooked wide old floorboards, super tall old glass windows, tin ceilings in the kitchens...just gorgeous!  The kids even enjoyed looking at all the interesting things from the past.
I enjoyed the true Texans as well!  We asked a lady for some advice and she answered, "Well, that's up to y'alls."  Yup, y'all has a plural tense! Hard to believe we were only about 25 minutes from home!

Some rye bread I baked.  Yum.

Ethan stealing to second.

An average week...

Let's not forget school.

Love this pitcher!

Our Texas adventure to Montgomery.

Love this porch, and the little girl on it!

I had to drag Ethan and Scott out of the creepy doll room.

Neat little restaurant.

Our new little buddy.  Hanging in someones yard.

Love this bud vase I got!

Check out how sweet this table cloth is.  Score!

Daddy's Know Fun!

Last week the kids and I took a long, long bike ride.  What made it fun for them was stopping at the playgrounds we encountered.  I just enjoyed the freedom of the bike paths, and the weather...and of course the company!
    This past weekend (while I was away) the kids enjoyed some serious fun with Scott.  He took them to a Friday night baseball game at the Astros Stadium!  They were playing the Red Sox!!!!  The Red Sox won, and there were fireworks at the end of the game.  The kids will remember that night always.
Ethan's team The Brewers also had a game this past weekend...and they WON!  Ethan pitched them out of a hole, and he got the game ball from his coach...but I'm not bragging...

Lego explosion.  Looks like Fiona was caught in the crossfire.

Some seriously dark skies here recently.  Pool almost overflowed!

These pictures were taken in the same day!  Weather clears fast as it comes in!

Such a monkey.

My favorite spot in the Woodlands.

Dad's weekend with kids.

Great seats!

Meeting Astro.